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Ethical Considerations in Italian Archaeological Research in the Mena Region. Ensuring Integrity in Cultural Heritage Investigations in Sensitive Areas

ROVERSI, Marco

This contribution presents a Ph.D. project based at Sapienza Università di Roma, in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage and Ethics Research Unit of the CNR CID Ethics and ISPC. The project aims at identifying and analyzing ethical issues in “sensitive” contexts within the MENA region, beginning with the definition of ethical “sensitivity” and exploring possible scenarios. One of its goals is to develop an ethical toolkit for Italian archaeologists working in such areas, testing methodologies and applied research within the framework of a number of Italian archaeological projects and expeditions, such as the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Erbil Plain of the University of Milan in Iraqi Kurdistan. This mission’s focus on public archaeology and ethnoarchaeology will provide valuable insights for understanding research ethics in this underexplored region. The paper will discuss some key ethical issues in archaeological research in Iraq, examining the relationship between local communities and archaeological investigations in post-conflict settings. It will also address another crucial aspect, e.g. the collection and treatment of human remains in the Middle East and Egypt, presenting the different approaches followed today and in the past. Keywords: Ethics, MENA Region, Archaeological Research

Session 5. Public Engagement and Cultural Heritage. The Role of Communication and Dissemination in the Humanities [info]